Pestilence in diverse places...but not exactly a Plague...yet?

Pestilence in Diverse Places...but not exactly a Plague...yet?

     More cases of MERS have shown up, however the last news I received about MERS implied that is was moving slower than SARS and lacked a pandemic potential. Even still it is an outbreak of a mysterious disease and worth watching. A majority of cases have been in  Saudi Arabia, though others have occurred in a variety of countries. The areas of greatest risk of spread seem to be close contact in health care settings. I assume the virus is an airborne pathogen, likely spread like the common cold.

Sources:
*http://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2013/07/more-mers-cases-reported-who-names-emergency-panel

Influenza Alerts:

-Flu activity in the u.s. is currently moderate to low. In the state of Oklahoma the trend is low. There was a marked increase (and early and severe appearance) of influenza in the U.S. between November 2012-March 2013 when it began to decrease, thought not entirely disappear. I predicted a return of the flu earlier for this month or last . It seems to be currently going through a tapering of plateau, but I will keep my eyes on it. I expect some outbreaks this month as the weeks pass and that it will return again early this year as it did last year. Possibly deadlier before (but not quite as much a problem for the U.S. as it could be in other parts of the world, if it spreads abroad. Last year it may have spread into Europe and I know that there were cases in Australia.

-It is my opinion (but I am not a Doctor...so check with your Doctor before receiving any kind of medical care) that getting the flu shot would be a good idea. Although last years vaccination did not work so effectively, it may be a better consideration to get it anyway. Talk with your Physician about the benefits and risks involved before you pursue you make such a decision. I will get mine when and if the opportunity presents itself.

P.S. I hope Captain Trips didn't ruin your Fourth of July ;)

Source:
http://www.google.org/flutrends/intl/en_us/us/#US-OK